Non-destructive inspection (NDI) of structures involves examining a structure without harming the structure or requiring significant disassembly. NDI methods are often preferred in order to avoid the time and costs associated with the removal of a part and to avoid the potential for causing damages when inspection is needed. In some situations, NDI methods might be the only methods by which inspections may be performed. NDI devices and methods are used in the aircraft industry to inspect aircraft structures such as composite structures and bonded panels. Inspections may identify irregularities such as cracks, discontinuities, disbonds between layers, voids, and areas having undesirable porosity. Preventive inspections may be performed during manufacturing and at any time during the service life of an aircraft structure to confirm the integrity and fitness of the structure. Inspections may also be prompted by incidents such as collisions and ballistic impacts.
NDI methods that include infrared imaging are available but involve costly equipment and a high degree of training. For example, infrared imaging, or thermography, is used in aircraft industries to inspect composite honeycomb parts for the presence of moisture ingression and to inspect fuselage components for disbonds between layered composite materials. In these applications, infrared imaging provides a graphical display of an inspected structure. Such a display can reveal, to the trained eye, sub-surface irregularities in a structure. However, the necessary infrared cameras and technicians trained to interpret thermographic displays represent considerable costs. Thus, while the equipment and experience needed for infrared imaging may be available at specialized repair and maintenance facilities, they are not typically readily available at commercial airports and remote aviation facilities.
The skin of an aircraft can have many surface marks. Some surface marks are superficial and are of little or no importance. Other marks overlay undesirable sub-surface damage of the marked component. Crews that fuel, load, and generally prepare airplanes for flight face a critical challenge. However, needless grounding of planes out of concerns over minor bumps and scratches must be minimized to preserve the commercial viabilities of airline companies, in order to efficiently serve traveling customers, and in order for military aircraft to provide critical support to ground-deployed forces in situations where time may be of critical essence.
In many scenarios, maintenance crews would benefit from having devices and methods for inspecting component skins and repair patches for evidence of shallow damages and irregularities.
It would be advantageous to provide low-cost NDI devices for rapid screening of markings on aircraft-component skins to determine whether shallow sub-surface damages are present. It would be advantageous to provide NDI devices and methods that permit a ground crew, without extensive thermography training, to determine whether a scratched or marked aircraft structure is ready to fly or whether extensive inspections by specialized personnel and equipment are needed. A need exists for low-cost NDI devices that can be feasibly widely distributed at aviation facilities, and that can be used to make rapid fly versus no-fly decisions.